


A Sky Full of Stars

by mariposaroja



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Denial of Feelings, F/M, M/M, a little bit music and lyrics-eque, aka they're idiots, musician au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-05
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-02-11 01:18:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 15,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12924231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariposaroja/pseuds/mariposaroja
Summary: Rey has the world at her feet. Luke's been there and back.





	1. Do You Believe in Magic?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _And it's magic, if the music is groovy_   
>  _It makes you feel happy like an old-time movie._   
>  _I'll tell you 'bout the magic and it'll free your soul_   
>  _But it's like trying to tell a stranger 'bout-a rock and roll..._

“Kylo.” Rey smiled as politely as she could as the man approached, cursing the fact that she hadn’t been successful in avoiding him. She’d almost done it too; the night for the most part was over and she had been planning on leaving soon, but should have known she wouldn’t be lucky enough to escape him.

“Rey,” his smile was a lot more genuine than hers as he embraced her, kissing her on both cheeks like the pretentious ass he was, “I’m glad I caught you. How has your evening been?”

 _Great until now_ , Rey wanted to say but managed to bite her tongue. He handed her a flute of champagne and although she gave him her thanks, she was too afraid that it wasn’t just bubbly that she couldn’t bring herself to take a sip. “It’s been pretty incredible,” she admitted, still unable to believe that her debut album had been so well received, that it resonated with so many.

“I can imagine. Congratulations, it’s very well deserved. I look forward to seeing what you produce for the next album, the second is always the hardest. I’d like to help with that, if you’d let me. My label has the best writer and producers in the business.”

And there it was. The monthly attempt to get her to jump ship from Resistance Records and join the infamous First Order Productions. It didn’t take her by surprise in the slightest, especially now since her work was tried and tested, her expression completely unchanging. “I’m-“ Miraculously, someone saved her from having to justify that with a response.

“Ben,” the instantly recognisable man clapped Ren on the shoulder, easy smile on his face and blue eyes twinkling, “So glad I caught you- Oh, I’m sorry to interrupt.”

Unable to help the grin the spread across her face, having one of those really ‘oh my god is this actually happening’, the singer found herself shaking her head, praying to god that she didn’t look as star struck as she felt. “N-no. It’s fine, really!”

“Ben, aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?”

“I’d rather not.” She’d never seen the CEO look so unimpressed.

Clearly used to Kylo’s (or Ben’s?) attitude, the man looked wholly unperturbed, sticking out his hand regardless. “I’m Luke, nice to meet you.”

“I know who you are!” The words escaped her mouth before her brain could think better of it, turning Rey a very unappealing shade of red as embarrassment seeped into every one of her pores. “I mean- uh- I’m a big fan. God, sorry.”

The immortally famous Luke Skywalker chuckled at that. “I know who you are too, it’s okay. Congratulations on the award; that was one good record you made.”

Oh god, she was probably going to drop dead. “Thank you so much, that means a lot coming from you.”

“It’s the truth. I’m sure my nephew told you the same.”

Rey’s eyes almost popped out of her head at that revelation. Looking between the two men with knitted brows, she tried to pick out some hint of a familiar resemblance and found nothing. “Nephew?”

 Kylo Ren, notoriously temperamental as he was, looked less than pleased. “Unfortunately.”

“Ben’s mother and I are twins.”

“As… _enlightening_ as this conversation has been, I had a proposal for Rey.”

Completely ignoring that, Luke arched an eyebrow. “Are you two dating? I’m so out of the loop.”

“No!” Reacting a little too quickly to hide her horror, Rey turned scarlet once again as she realised how much of an affront that could be viewed as. Kylo- _Ben_ \- looked positively murderous and for a moment she worried for the integrity of the rock and roll legend’s face before realising that even Kylo Ren wouldn’t be so bold as to get into a physical altercation with his uncle at an awards ceremony.

As if it were fate, the CEO’s phone began to ring at that moment, his expression darkening even further as he pulled it from his pocket and examined the caller ID. “Excuse me,” it was a miracle he was even able to speak through that clenched jaw, “I have to take this.”

“No, of course,” she waved it off, watching as he stalked away and pressed the phone to his ear, his growl of ‘This better fucking be good, Hux’ barely audible.

“Stay away from him.”

For a moment she’d almost forgotten his presence. It wasn’t a threat, it was a warning. “I was trying my best to, to be honest. He’s very persistent.”

“Good,” the grave expression quickly changed back into his trade mark easy grin, “I’m going to go get another drink and you should probably too since that thing,” his eyes flicked to the glass in her hand, “is probably roofied knowing my nephew. May I?” Taking the glass from her, he tipped into a nearby plant pot just to be safe.

“Thank you, for stepping in. I was prepared to have another very uncomfortable conversation.”

Waving that off, he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his slacks as they began to wander in the direction of one of many tables laden with the finest champagne. “He’s never been one to take no for an answer. I would tell him to keep away but I think I’m the last person in the world he would listen to. Maybe after his father.”

“I guess I’ll just have to continue in my quest to avoid him then,” she chuckled, giving him her thanks- sincere this time- when he took two flutes from the one of the catering staff and handed her one. It was all a bit surreal; this time last year she had been a ‘no one’ and now she was drinking eye-wateringly expensive champagne at an awards ceremony with one of the greatest guitarists of all time.

“You know, I wasn’t being polite earlier on when I said that I enjoyed your record. I haven’t heard music that really, well, spoke to me in a long time.”

It was a miracle she didn’t choke on her drink. “I can’t even tell you how amazing that is to hear. I was pretty adamant from the beginning that it was going to be what I wanted it to be or it wasn’t going to happen at all. I guess it’s a good thing they liked it or I wouldn’t be here.”

Taking a sip of his drink, the corner of Luke’s mouth tugged upwards. “It’s good to see someone will a little bit of integrity. It’s not so common these days, unfortunately…” his eyes trailed over some of their fellow attendees and landed on one particular person.

Covering her mouth as best as she could given the fact that she was holding a glass, Rey used the other to give him a little nudge, the cheeky smile on his face only making the situation worse. “Luke! That’s unfair.” _And true._

“It’s true. So, tell me- that solo in _So Far Away…_ was that you?”

Swallowing a sip of her drink, Rey shook her head. “Unfortunately not. I can play but not that well, it’s pretty just basis progressions for me.”

“That’s a shame. If you ever want to improve then give me a shout.” The comment was made fairly off-hand, but the look of pure bewilderment on the young girl’s face made him frown. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to insult you.”

 _Oh my god._ “N-no! It wasn’t an insult, just a little bit far-fetched…”

“What?” he challenged, mischievous twinkle in his eyes, “don’t think I’d be a good teacher?”

“I’m sure you’d be the best teacher, but you don’t have to offer.”

Ah. “Well, the offer is genuine. You’re incredibly talented, Rey. I’m sure I could learn from you too.”

If it had been anyone else, the singer would have been one hundred percent certain that there was an ulterior motive. As it stood, however, Rey was 99.9% percent certain that he was being absolutely genuine, that he was doing it for his love of music rather than anything else. His track-record stood to him, all those years in the music business and he still remained squeaky clean. Quite an outstanding feat for someone in his position.

“Yeah,” she couldn’t help but grin like an idiot, “I’d like that.”


	2. Adventure of a Lifetime

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Turn your magic on, to me she'd say_   
> _Everything you want's a dream away_  
>  _We are legends, every day..._  
>  _That's what she told him_

Rey: Hey! I’m going to be in New York for a couple of days next week, are you free to do some mentoring?

Rey: You can definitely say no

Rey: Forget I asked 

Laughing at the string of texts along with the little emoji of the monkey covering its eyes she’d sent, Luke decided to put the poor girl out of her misery.

Luke: Absolutely. I’ll send my address and just drop me a text when you’re about

Rey: Can’t wait :) Do I need to bring my guitar?

Luke: Looking forward to it! Nope, I may have one or two (or a million) lying around that you can choose from

Rey: Great :) See you then?

Luke: See you then!

*

“Okay,” Rey began, swallowing her mouthful of pad thai that she had failed miserably in eating with chopsticks, “I want to try that one next.”

Arching an eyebrow, Luke’s gaze followed her pointing, giving a little chuckle when he saw what he was referring to. “Why did I even need to look?”

“It’s beautiful. So sparkly…”

“All that glitters isn’t gold…”

“Oh yeah? Is it a bad guitar?”

The seasoned musician paused for a moment, poking at a prawn in an attempt not to smile. He failed miserably. “Okay, yeah that just so happens to be a good guitar. But you got lucky!” he protested when she grinned triumphantly.

“Do you actually own a bad guitar?”

“Not really. But there’s some that I like better than others.”

Hesitating momentarily, Rey chewed on her lip. “Have you ever thought about making music again?”

It was a question he really should have seen coming. Depending on the person who asked, there was a good chance they would receive a frosty answer. He knew, however, that she was just merely genuinely curious. “I still do some composing,” Luke shrugged, “It’s just not the same as before.”

That was understandable. _Millennium Falcon_ was and continued to be one of the best bands of all time, but the turmoil between the other members, Luke’s twin, Leia, and her now-ex-husband, Han, meant that the guitarist had been caught in a very uncomfortable position. “You can say no, of course, but I was wondering if maybe you’d like to work on one of the tracks for my next album? We aren’t due to start recording for another two months so you can have some time to think about it if you like. No pressure.”

Well, he certainly hadn’t been expecting that. Getting back in the studio was certainly enticing, but Luke promised years ago that he wouldn’t do it unless he was absolutely certain it was the right thing to do. And he wasn’t so sure. “Yeah, I’ll think about it.”

Fixing him with the brightest smile that he could ever remember seeing, she returned to her food.

*

DoReyMi: You think this will fit into my bag so I can sneak out without @LukeSkywalker noticing? #seriousquestion #itssobeautiful

LukeSkywalker: I knew your bag looked a funny shape!! #returntheguitar #andnoonegetshurt

DoReyMi: Damn :/ Worth a try… ;)

*

 

She’d just about given up hope on him taking her up on her invitation to join her in the studio when Rey got a call one bitterly cold evening in London. Her scarf pulled up to her chin, complete with woolly gloves and hat, it was a miracle she even felt her phone buzzing in her pocket as she wandered down Oxford Street. Seeing as everyone was dressed similarly, all focused on getting their Christmas shopping done as quickly and painlessly as possible, she’d thus far gone unnoticed.

Fumbling with her phone, her face lit up when she saw the ID, catching it just in time before it rang out. “Luke, hi!”

“Hi, how are you?”

“Freezing,” she chuckled, “but other than that? Good. How are you?”

“Great. Quite warm actually.”

“Lucky you. Why I decided it was a good idea to leave the cosiness of my flat is beyond me.” She was certainly regretting it now, but accepting defeat just wasn’t an option. A large caramel latte from Starbucks and she would be set.

“Is this a bad time? I can call back later.”

“’Course not. Don’t be silly. It’s good to hear from you.”

“I was just wondering if the invitation to do some work on your new album still stands?”

 _Yes!!_ Stopping in her tracks, earning her some minor abuse from her fellow shoppers, Rey grinned so widely that it was almost painful. She tried her best not to squeal in excitement and only just succeeded. “Absolutely! Can I take that as meaning you’re on board?

“Well, if you’ll have me I’d love to. Sorry it took so long, I just wanted to make sure that I was doing it for the right reasons.”

“No, don’t apologise. I’m just so happy that you said yes, you have no idea. We don’t have a firm date yet but as soon as I know, you’ll know. It will be sometime in late January anyway if you’re available then?”

“January is great. Listen, I’ll let you get back to whatever you were doing and we’ll talk in the next couple of days, okay?”

Rey frowned, though she knew that the middle of one of London’s busiest streets wasn’t exactly the best place to discuss it. “Oh, okay. Yeah, definitely. I look forward to it.”

“Me too,” he sounded completely genuine, “Bye, Rey.”

“Bye, Luke.”

And she certainly didn’t do a little happy dance in the middle of Oxford Street. Absolutely not.

*

_Spotted: Rumours that songstress Rey is teaming up with Millennium Falcon guitarist, Luke Skywalker, on her next album were all but confirmed yesterday when the two were seen arriving at Coruscant Studios together. The pair appeared to working together on new material, with Rey posting several Instagram photos from, presumably, Skywalker’s Manhattan penthouse. The legendary guitarist, who has been composing for artists such as Poe Dameron and Jessika Pava for a number of years now, has not recorded anything personally since the break-up of his band thirteen years ago-_

Having had enough, Kylo threw the newspaper down on his desk in a rage. Unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable. Leave it to his uncle to undo all of his hard work, just as he always did. Thirteen years without stepping foot inside a studio and Rey just happens to be the one to tempt him back into it? Absolutely absurd.

The, thankfully empty, coffee cup that sat on his desk flew against the wall, pieces of porcelain scattering across the floor. And, of course, who just happened to be walking past at that exact moment…

Looking entirely too amused, Hux stuck his head in the door. “Whatever it is, I already know it’s going to be good. Go on, tell me.”

“Fuck off, Hux.”

If only. It was too late, the redhead sauntered into his office like he owned the place. “Sharing is caring.”

“Rey has decided that she’s going to record with my _dear_ uncle.”

Eyebrows raising, Hux couldn’t help but smirk as he leaned against the wall. “Well, that’s a bit of a setback.”

“A _setback_? Are you kidding me? She’s never going to leave my mother’s label if he has anything to do with it. This is a disaster.”

“You should have done a better job at seducing her. Now it looks like your uncle has beaten you to it.”

With anyone else he would have understood that as a metaphor, but having vast experience in dealing with Hux, Kylo couldn’t help but narrow his eyes. It wasn’t even a possibility that he’d entertained before now and he couldn’t help but curse the other man for even putting the idea in his head. “There is absolutely _no way_. None.”

“No?” Arching a faint red eyebrow, his second in command smirked, clearly enjoying himself far more than was appropriate. “Women love an older man…”

“ _I’m_ an older man. My uncle, he’s fucking ancient!”

“Fifty three isn’t exactly ancient.” Hux’s words were punctuated by the sound of a fist hitting the wall and, so used to it as he was, he didn’t even bat an eye.

“Enough. This is just a minor setback. I won’t let it be any more. Now, get out of my office.”


	3. Hallelujah

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Well it goes like this the fourth, the fifth_   
>  _The minor fall and the major lift_   
>  _The baffled king composing Hallelujah..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I was so glad to see the response to the last chapter! Unfortunately I wasn't around much because I only got to see the movie today (it was complete torture!) but I managed to get a couple of chapters written during my social media blackout ;) Hope you enjoy this and shout out to all the new Rey/Luke shippers! Welcome aboard ;)
> 
> Update: Seen the movie, not sure how I feel but here's one I prepared earlier

Making her way back from the bathroom, Rey stopped in her tracks when she heard the lilting melody coming from the studio. Instantly recognisable, she felt her heart clench at the sheer beauty of it and for a moment she contemplated lingering there, just _listening_ but, ultimately, her curiosity got the better of her. She took a couple of steps forward, but didn’t get much further before she was rendered physically speechless.

He could _sing_. He could sing _very_ well.

So well that she almost couldn’t believe it. Rey knew that the minute she walked back in there he would probably stop, but she couldn’t help herself. She had to see this with her own two eyes. And what a sight it was: Luke perched on his stool, eyes shut and fingers plucking the strings as softly as she’d ever heard. For the first time it hit her- he was beautiful, everything about him was beautiful. The realisation, out of the blue as it was, left her feeling unsteady, and she reached out for the counter for support. Unfortunately, he sensed the movement and it all suddenly stopped, shaking his head to himself as he chuckled softly.

“Got a little carried away.”

“No, please don’t stop. That’s my favourite song.”

“Good taste. It’s probably the best song ever written-“

“Luke.”

“Hmm?” Cheeks noticeably pink, he looked up at her again and Rey found herself floored by the fact that he was _shy_. The famous Luke Skywalker still, after all those years, all the success, still believed he had something to be shy about.

Sitting down opposite him, she plucked one of the strings of his guitar, the note ringing around them. “Play it for me.” She almost expected him to protest but, though he laughed to himself once again, he picked up right where he left off. It was nothing short of mesmerising.

_“… baby I’ve been here before, I’ve seen this room and I’ve walked this floor_

_You know I used to live alone before I knew you._

_Well I’ve seen your flag on the marble arch and love is not a victory march_

_It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah…”_

It didn’t take her long at all to come to the startling realisation that she was completely gone for. So much so that Rey wondered if maybe she never had a choice from the moment they met. Heart beginning to thud in her chest, she listened to him, heard every ounce of emotion that he put into the unfairly, hauntingly beautiful song. Rey wasn’t exactly sure when it all became too much, when she reached out and wrapped her hand around the neck of his guitar, effectively muting his picking.

Taken aback as he was, Luke stopped singing, allowing her to take it out of his hands and deposit it on the floor next to them. “Rey, what-“ those thoughts effectively died in his throat when she made her next move, standing and closing the short distance before draping her arms around his neck as she lowered herself onto his lap so that her thighs were straddling his hips. It was obvious what was coming, but that still didn’t stop his breath from hitching as their lips met, feeling as if he’d just been struck by a bolt of lightning. Without his permission, his hands move to tangle in her hair as her lips moved softly against his, coaxing him deeper and deeper into her clutches.

He all too willingly went.

It was like heaven, _she_ felt like heaven. If dying was the price to pay for feeling like this then he would gladly pay it a hundred times over. Luke hummed against her mouth, gasping when she tugged on his hair, effectively deepening the kiss and driving him halfway to insanity at the same time.

Everything was perfect… until it wasn’t.

The sound of the front door shutting had her retreating, almost falling over her feet in an attempt to put as much distance between them as possible. Hand covering her still-tingling lips, Rey struggled to catch her breath, heart beating unnaturally fast. One look at Luke told her that he was as surprised by her out of the blue advances as she was that she actually made them, but not at all unpleasantly so. Still, it was a lot to comprehend and, before she could think any better of it, she found herself retreating towards the exit.

And who did she encounter along the way…

“Rey.”

She really shouldn’t have been surprised, because the amount of people who had a key to Luke Skywalker’s penthouse was extremely limited, but Rey almost jumped out of her skin at the sight of, well, her boss.

“Leia.” _Please don’t look at me like that._

“Fancy seeing you here. I thought that you’d wrapped recording?”

All of a sudden, it seemed like she’d lost the ability to properly communicate. “Yes. Well, actually, no. We finished all the already written material but we’ve been working on some new stuff together.” _Understatement of the century._ “But we kinda lost track of time and I am very late for a meeting so unfortunately I have to run. We should catch up soon though.” The older woman barely got a chance to open her mouth before the young singer was gone, the door shutting a little bit too firmly behind her.

“Leia, hi. I had forgot you said you were calling over.” Leaning against the doorjamb, Luke tried his very best not to appear as if he’d just been making out with one of his sister’s artists. Given how flustered he currently was, it wasn’t an easy task.

Entirely unconvinced, Leia folder her arms across her chest. “What did you do to have her running for the door?”

 _Fuck_. “ _I_ didn’t do anything. What makes you think that I was doing something? I did nothing.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you ramble when you’re lying? Whatever you did, I don’t want to know. Just _fix_ it. She’s a young girl, Luke.”

As if he didn’t feel bad enough as it was. Fuck, Rey was thirty years his junior- it was completely wrong of him to even think about her like that. But he did, even if he didn’t know it ‘til today, and by the looks of things she did too… Sighing, he kneaded his eye with the heel of his hand. “I know. I… I know.”


	4. The Best Things are Easy to Destroy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _You're the best thing about me, the best things are easy to destroy_   
>  _If you're the best thing about me, why am I..._   
>  _Why am I walking away?_

Rey: Run now please?

Finn: Do I even want to know?

Rey: Just get on your shoes and meet me in the usual spot.

*

“So…” hardly breaking a sweat as they jogged through central park, Finn finally decided to broach the subject once it seemed that she was clearly avoiding it, “You going to tell me why you dragged me all the way out here to run with you or do I have to guess?”

Eyes shutting momentarily, Rey sighed as her head fell forward slightly. Running felt good, it gave her something to concentrate on and ignore… everything. Mostly her supreme confusion. “Uh, so I did something…”

“You know, I had gathered that much. Just spit it out and we can figure out whatever it is together.” His comforting smile dropped when something suddenly occurred to him, a feeling of dread settling in his stomach. “Oh god, you’re not pregnant are you?”

Cheeks flushing even more, if that were possible, she reached on and nudged him. Hard. “I’m not _pregnant_ you idiot. Fuck, I can’t even remember the last time I had sex. It’s kinda find to hard someone to hook up with when you’re constantly on the go. And everyone knows who you are.”

“That’s why you hook up with someone who’s in the same boat,” he said as if it were obvious, his jaw dropping when he saw how she very noticeably cringed at that. “Okay, now you _have_ to spill. Don’t make me beg, Rey, don’t make me beg.”

Once again, the scene was on loop in her mind and Rey could almost feel his hands on her, her lips against his, that spark that seemed to appear out of nowhere, making her- in that moment- want him more than she’d ever wanted anyone in her entire life. She shivered at the thought of what might have happened if Leia hadn’t have shown up when she did. If she was completely honest, Rey probably would have been wrapped around him in his bed right now instead of out pounding the pavements with her manager. Keeping her eyes focused straight ahead, she finally relented. “I kissed Luke.” Anxiously awaiting his reaction, she turned her head when nothing was forthcoming and saw that he had come to a stop a couple of paces behind her. “What are you-“

“You kissed _Luke Skywalker_?”

She supposed she should stop too, moving away from the middle of the path. “Well… I suppose made out is probably a better way to describe it.”

And then he did something totally unexpected: he laughed. “Poe put you up to this, didn’t he?”

 _Wait, what?!_ “Why would Poe ask me to kiss Luke Skywalker?”

“Not kiss him, he told you to tell me you kissed him so he would win the bet.”

Jaw almost hitting the ground, Rey stared at him in horror. “What do you mean _bet_?!” His silence was telling, but she needed to hear it from him. “ _Finn Dameron_ -“

“Okay,” he cringed, holding his hands up in surrender, “So, first of all, it wasn’t my idea, let’s make that clear right now. But, well, Poe said that he was sure that you two were fucking and when I told him that he was crazy he made a bet with me.”

It was just too much. Feeling a little lightheaded, the singer made her way over to sit on the nearest bench, head instantly dropping between her knees. What kind of fucked up day was this? Did she wake up in some kind of alternate universe and not realise until now? And why did her stomach suddenly feel like five million caterpillars had suddenly metamorphosed into butterflies?

A hand squeezed her shoulder and she felt him sit down next to her. “How long have you liked him?”

“I didn’t- I didn’t know that I liked him until he sang that stupid song and then something just clicked and I- oh god… I _jumped_ him.”

“Well, if it’s any consolation I’d say he enjoyed it.” Her head snapped up and she gave him the most deathly glare she could muster up. “Oh come on, don’t be so proper. I’m pretty sure that ‘making out’ with someone implies that the other party was willing. So, how was it?”

Groaning, Rey buried her face in her hands. This was a conversation that would require her being a lot more honest with herself than she would strictly like. Something tightened in the pit of her stomach as she remembered how he had reacted to her, and Rey knew she was a goner. It had been almost physically painful to walk away and the lack of satisfaction she now felt was only making things a thousand times worse. “It was _so_ good, Finn. If Leia hadn’t turned up when she did…”

Jaw dropping, Finn tried his hardest not to laugh, which was an incredibly difficult task when the tale just kept getting better and better. “Leia walked in on you making out with her brother?”

“No she did not thank you very much. I ran away before she could see us but I have a feeling she knew what was going on…”

“Oh, she definitely did.”

“ _Finn_!”

Okay, so maybe he could be a little bit more sensitive. “I’m just saying, Leia Organa is all-knowing. So what are you going to do?”

That certainly was the question. She certainly knew what she wanted to do: run all the way back to his place and have sweaty, mindblowing sex with him. Multiple times. But what she _should_ do was the complete opposite. “I don’t know. Luke… he’s a good friend and we work really well together- musically. I don’t want to end up ruining that, even though I probably already have. _I_ kissed him. _I_ got on his lap and kissed him until we could hardly breathe. And then I just ran away, like the child he probably thinks I am.”

Brushing a strand of hair out of her face, Finn smiled sympathetically. “Well his sister and your boss almost walked in on the two of you, I’m sure running like you did was understandable. Especially when it was new and confusing… Rey, I know you’re scared of ruining things but I think that you two actually make a good pair. Okay, he’s older than you but that doesn’t mean it won’t work. You can’t help who you fall in love with.”

“I’ve never been in love. I don’t even know what being in love feels like. He has, he’s been _married_. I’m so out of my depth that I feel like I’m drowning-“

“Rey,” he placed his hands firmly on her arms, effectively stopping her ranting, “Calm down. It’s okay. It’s all okay. You don’t have to make your mind up about anything right now. Just take some time to think it all over and then see how you feel. How about you come over for dinner at ours tonight? You can spend some time with Beebee, that always makes you feel better.”

Leaning into his embrace, Rey nodded against his shoulder. She knew it was completely ridiculous, that as an adult she shouldn’t be completely terrified by the prospect of letting someone into her life like that but she just couldn’t help herself. Even if that person was Luke Skywalker, someone she trusted and very much cared for.

“Yeah, I think that sounds good.”


	5. Everybody's Watching Her...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Baby, this is what you came for_   
>  _Lightning strikes every time she moves._   
>  _And everybody's watching her..._   
>  _But she's looking at you._

“Rey, please stop fixing your dress. You’re going to get oily paw prints all over it.” Poe shot her a warning look, taking her forearms in his hands to stop her fidgeting. “It’s all going to be fine, we’re going to have a great night.”

Scoffing, Rey looked around for what seemed like the fiftieth time since they’d arrived at the party. So far there was no sign, but the night was still young… “Somehow I doubt that.”

Feigning offence, he pivots so that they are side by side, his arm still linked with hers. “Are you kidding? You think anyone has ever been my date to anything and _not_ had a great time? Absurd.”

“I’m only your date because your husband couldn’t trust me to go by myself and thought, for some _bizarre_ reason, that this would be good for me.”

“Reason doesn’t matter,” he insisted, grabbing two flutes of champagne from a passing waiting staff, “What does matter is the fact that we’re going to drink lots of free, eye-wateringly expensive alcohol, dance like no one is watching and have a damn good time.”

Although he’d always been completely open about his sexuality, Rey found it very hard not to fall a little bit in love with Poe every time she was with him. On a number of occasions, she found herself cursing Finn and his luck; Poe was everything anyone could ever want and more, incredibly handsome, insanely talented and, to add insult to injury, the nicest person one could ever hope to meet. It kinda wasn’t fair for one person to be so perfect. So it wasn’t exactly a surprise when she actually managed to smile. “Yeah, let’s do it.”

*

“There’s someone we should probably say hi to…” Poe whispered in her ear, arm snaking around her and coming to rest on her waist as he began to steer her in his desired direction. Realising he was right when she caught sight of Leia standing a couple of feet away from them, smiling widely, Rey grinned and allowed herself to be led, not caring that Poe’s hand remained firmly on her for longer than was really necessary.

It wasn’t until they were but a couple of feet away that she realised that there was definitely a reason for it, the new number one on her list of people she was actively avoiding returning with drinks for himself and his twin without even a glance in their direction. Rey’s hopes of him spotting them and making a beeline for anywhere that wasn’t there died a horrible death and so she did the only thing she could think of: she turned into her date’s chest and tried to wiggle herself out of his grasp. It didn’t work. Poe’s strong arms held her firmly in place as he looked right into her eyes in a way that only Poe Dameron could.

“You have to do this, Rey. It’s for your own good. You two can’t keep avoiding each other, it’s becoming obvious and it’s not good for either of you. So tonight you’re going to face your fears, okay? We’re going to go over there, you’re going to see him and speak to him and I’m going to be right there by your side.”

Opening her mouth to object, she firmly closed it again when she realised that she wasn’t getting out of this one. And he was right, it was getting embarrassing at this point. With a shaky breath, she finally nods, trying to compose herself as much as she can before turning around. When she did, her knees almost gave way, her brown eyes meeting _his_ blue instantly, sending a borderline violent jolt of _something_ through her. He looked good, that much was undeniable. Then again, she couldn’t remember ever seeing him _not_ look good but, at that very moment, it was _very_ inconvenient.

“Rey, Poe,” their boss grinned as they finally approached, greeting the young woman with a warn hug and kiss on the cheek as Poe shook hands with her brother, “It’s so good to see you. Well, outside of business hours anyway.”

“You too,” Rey lied through her teeth, heart feeling as if it was close to giving in as she realised that she would have to greet Luke next. The older woman gave her a reassuring smile, squeezing her hand one last time before Rey reluctantly moved on to the man standing by her side.

Seeing him again was as confusing as it was completely overwhelming. As usual, his blue eyes sparkled, though now there was a hesitancy in them that Rey was sure he could see mirrored in her own. But his smile… his _smile_ …

She easily found herself drawn in by him, leaning into his embrace as one of his arms wrapped loosely around her back, and they exchanged kisses on both cheeks. The feeling of his skin against hers, his beard tickling her cheek, instantly transported her back to the _that_ afternoon and for a moment she was lost. In her mind it was just the two of them again, her on his lap with her hands buried in his hair, his roaming her back… She began to ache at the proximity, the moment seeming to last an awful lot longer than the couple of seconds it actually was. Then it was over, and Rey was left pink-cheeked and with the (un-surprising) realisation that they really were fooling themselves, that they could deny it all they wanted but eventually something had to give.

“Rey.”

“Luke.”

“You look beautiful.”

“You don't look too bad yourself.”

Grinning at the exchange, Poe softly nudged Leia in a “are you seeing this shit” way. If it wouldn't create a massive stir, he definitely would have become the living embodiment of that ‘NOW KISS' meme.

Rolling her eyes but no less satisfied by their initial success, Leia decided to steer the conversation in a different direction to ensure that things didn't have the chance to become awkward. “So, Poe, how is the husband?”

*

PoeDameron: I love it when a plan comes together ;) This wonderful woman may be my boss but she is also my partner in crime <3

Finn: Picture or it never happened

Poe: Ask and you shall receive babe ;)

PoeDameron: And one of the gang too. With my beautiful date @DohReyMi and her acquired date @LukeSkywalker ;) #longtimenosee #creativegeniuses #psychedforthenewalbum

*

“How have you been?”

They found themselves, to neither’s surprise, abandoned by Poe and Leia not half an hour later. Anxiously clutching one arm with the other, Rey contemplated lying but saw absolutely no point in doing so. “Honestly?”

“Of course,” Luke replied, more than a little wary of the need for qualification.

 _Just do it, Rey. Just do it._ “I've been miserable. And it's completely my own fault. I'm so sorry, Luke. I feel like I ruined everything.”

“Rey,” she couldn't even look at him, “ _Rey_.” That got her attention and she reluctantly looked straight at him, cheeks tinged with pink. “You don't need to apologise. There's nothing to apologise for.”

“Of course I do. I… I _kissed_ you and then I just ran away like it was the biggest mistake I ever made. Which it-"

Intrigued by where this was going but not allowing himself too much hope, Luke arched an eyebrow. “Which it?”

Oh god, she felt like she was going to be sick. “Which it definitely wasn't. At all. In fact if Leia hadn't shown up when she did…”

He almost couldn't believe what he was hearing, jaw falling open as he tried to get to grips with the meaning of what she had just said. Words failing him, he nodded slowly, before surprising her by standing. “Would you mind if we discussed this somewhere a little more private?”

Without a second thought, Rey accepted the hand extended to her.


	6. On a Night Like This

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Don't say it's like a fantasy, when you know this is how it should be_   
>  _You kiss me, I'm falling... can you hear me calling?_   
>  _You touch me, I want you_   
>  _Feels like I've always known you..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if you don't like the form of this/ don't think it fits usual narrative form. I had originally planned on this being a one shot that was kinda just snapshots so it's a little jumpy :/

Rey had to admit that she was expecting something romantic, like a stroll in a garden draped with fairy lights and scattered with beautiful flowers, not a deserted coat room. For their purpose, she supposed, it would suffice, and so she followed closely behind Luke, her hand still in his. If anyone saw them go in there, it would certainly cause something of a stir, yet she couldn’t find it within herself to care, too eager to have the conversation that she knew they should have had weeks ago. Luckily, it was completely deserted, now evidently serving as a chair storeroom.

Sighing softly, a weight seemed to lift from Rey’s shoulders in time with the closing of the door behind them, letting her head rest against the cool wood panelling. Finally alone, she realised that they could now talk freely and find out where they stood, putting them out of their collective misery, something that both invigorated and terrified her. As she looked around, only Luke in sight, she had to fight hard to keep from just jumping him again, that suit coupled with her growing sexual frustration since their last encounter rendering her almost delirious. But there were too many important things to be said before (if) they got to that point.

“So…”

Eyes twinkling as he laughed at that, Luke scrubbed absentmindedly at his beard. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re fucking adorable?”

 _Ditto_. “A couple of fans online?” she shrugged, trying to keep from blushing as if it were the greatest compliment she had ever received in her life, bar none. (It definitely was) “I guess I should probably elaborate a bit more… I guess we should talk about what happened. _Why_ it happened.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Do you want to go first, or shall I?” Chivalrous as he was, he pulled out a chair for her and though it seemed bizarre to sit down and have this conversation, especially given their history, her shoes were beginning to murder her.

“I guess I should go first, seeing as I was the one who started all this…” With no objection on his part, Rey decided she should probably continue, drawing a shaky breath to gather some courage before she did. “I… I guess there is no way to build up to it really, is there? That day was when it really first hit me that I had- I _have_ \- feelings for you.” Even saying that, though probably obvious, made her heart go like a freight train, the heat in the room suddenly stifling, “Maybe I was just in denial, because you were such a good friend and we got along so well, but it was overwhelming. I just- it was as if I-“

Rey felt like screaming. Why was it so damn difficult? She was an award-winning songwriter, for Christ’s sake; this is literally what she did for a living, so why was she acting like a tongue-tied preteen with her first crush? Growing increasingly frustrated, she shook her head, a curl or two coming loose from her upstyle and tickling her neck. “It wasn’t enough. Being your friend wasn’t enough. I needed it to be more, as much as it took me by surprise. And I’m sorry if that wasn’t what you wanted but, honestly? If I could do it over again I would do the same thing.”

For a moment, the only sound that filled the room was her slightly-laboured, post-rant breathing as Rey let that all sink in, firmly hitting the ball into his half of the court. Smile growing by the second, Luke laughed as he shook his head to himself, each word she said, everything she implied, like music to his ears. “Rey, I- god, I don’t know how to put this without sounding like a creep but I’ll try… I’ve always thought you were the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on, from the moment I first laid eyes on you,” the bashful smile that had her looking to the floor to avert his gaze was more than worth putting himself out there, “But, don’t get me wrong, when I first spoke to you I had absolutely no expectations that anything would ever happen, nor did I particularly want them to. I guess- like you- for me it just kinda happened and… well, I don’t know if I would ever have made a move if you hadn’t. Maybe I would have eventually, who knows? But you were more important to me than anything that _might_ potentially happen. And then you kissed me… I would be lying if I said it wasn’t the most perfect thing that I had ever experienced in my life.”

 _Okay._ Nodding slowly, Rey took a minute to absorb all that, butterflies exploding in her stomach as it really hit her that he felt the same way as she. In time with the penny dropping, a smile began to spread across her face and she laughed, covering her cheeks with her hands.

“Are you all right?” he wondered, eyebrow cocked in amusement, her bashfulness without a doubt the most endearing thing he’d ever come across in his entire life. Watching her reactions was a treat, especially now that he knew how she felt about him, an air of possibility hanging over them like a cloud.

“Yeah, I’m fine! It’s just… a bit surreal, isn’t it? I mean who would have thought…”

“I know, I _know_. Trust me. But I guess this is how it’s happening, so what do you think?”

She could have told him what she thought, or maybe tried to, but Rey could think of something a lot more effective. Standing, the corners of her mouth tugged up in a wry smile, she grabbed his tie and pulled him into her, their bodies barely colliding when her lips were pressed against his.

While the last time had been experimental, this time was far from it. Knowing exactly what she wanted, it was only too willingly granted and before she knew it, Rey found herself backed up against the nearest wall. Luke’s lips migrating from hers to her neck, his breath and beard tickling the sensitive skin, she let out a whimper, fingers grasping desperately at his hair as she arched against him. It was almost inconceivable that someone could make her feel this way by just kissing her, that raw magnetism between them sending sparks flying every time they touched.

“ _Luke_ …”

Before she could think any better of it, her fingers began to work at the buttons of his shirt, only getting one or two open before he grabbed her wrists, effectively stopping her in her tracks. “Rey,” his voice was so raspy that she was grateful that she had the support of the wall behind her, considering her with such intensity that he probably saw right through to her soul, “I want this- I want this with _you_ but I’m not going to do it here. Come back to my hotel with me?”

In her mind, she was already gone. “Yes. But we need to leave right now because I can’t go back to that party and act naturally, I’d go out of my mind.”

Chuckling, he placed a soft kiss against her forehead. “I can live with that. Should we say our goodbyes or…?”

 _Fuck no_. “What are we supposed to say? ‘So we talked and everthing’s okay- oh, gee look at the time I think I better get home’ ‘Yeah, me too…’”

Okay, so he could see how that might get a bit awkward and lead to them probably be taunted for the rest of their lives… “I think maybe a text will do.”

“Yeah, I think so too…”

*

Rey: So you better not say I told you so but I’m leaving now. Talk to you soon

Poe: HALLELUJAH (too soon? ;))

Rey: Fuck you

Poe: We’re so proud of you and make sure you’re safe xx

Rey: STOP DISCUSSING MY SEX LIFE WITH MY BOSS

*

LukeSkywalker: So happy to run into this one after a hectic couple of weeks @DohReyMi Don’t worry, I won’t charge you for the ride home ;)

“Luke!” she chastised him when the message came through, the selfie of them in the back of the cab one of her favourite pictures ever but the caption making her blush tomato red.

Rolling his eyes, he plucked the phone out of her hands and tucked it back into her bag. “Get your mind out of the gutter, Rey.” Draping one arm over her shoulders, he couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face when she leaned into his chest, smiling as he looked up at him.

There were so many things he could have said, but all of them seemed incredibly inappropriate for the back of a cab and so he settled for placing a lingering kiss against her hair, all the while questioning how on earth he managed to get so incredibly lucky.

*

Finn: Any update?

Poe: Well they conveniently left at the same time without saying goodbye…

Finn: Poe Dameron, you are the man! Top class work. Does this mean that I still owe you 100 dollars?

Poe: Finn Dameron, I know babe ;)

Poe: And yes, you do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year!


	7. Kiss From a Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _There is so much a man can tell you_   
>  _So much he can say_   
>  _You remain_   
>  _My power, my pleasure, my pain..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight rating change- be warned!

“You’re so beautiful.”

Even in the dim light of the room, Rey could see the burning in his eyes, and it took her off guard. No one has ever wanted her like that before, like they would go insane if they had to keep their hands off her. It was intoxicating, everything about him was intoxicating, and Rey found herself falling further and further past the point of no return. Then he took her face in his hands, thumb swiping across her lip, before it was replaced by his, stealing the breath from her lungs once again. The ground unsteady beneath her, Rey wrapped her arms around his back, fists balling in his shirt for support as she kissed him.

Luke’s fingers getting caught in her mess of hair, she groaned at the tugging sensation, pushing him closer and closer to the foot of the bed until the mattress hit the back of his knees and he was knocked off balance. He chuckled as he landed on the covers, but the smile was quickly wiped off his face, replaced by something else entirely when she turned around, demurely looking over her shoulder as she offered him the zipper of her dress.

Though his hands felt as if they weren’t his own, Luke did as he was instructed, the sound of the zip opening amplified in the otherwise silent room as he revealed the perfect skin of her back, only dotted with a freckle or two here and there. Feeling brave, he allowed his finger tips to trace the softness, just as she brushed one hand over her shoulder, pushing the solitary strap of her dress down. Before he knew it, it was pooled around her ankles and Rey stepped out of it, toeing it out of the way that so that she wouldn’t fall over it and ruin the mood.

 _Incredible_ , that was the only way to describe the sight of her, all soft curves and covered only by her lacy underwear, ebony contrasting beautifully with the cream of her skin.

 Incredible, and completely out of his league.

His hand quickly drawn back, Rey frowned and turned around, surprised to see him looking pointedly at anything but _her_. _This is not how this is supposed to go._ “Hey, is everything okay?”

“I shouldn’t be doing this. You deserve more.”

She could have screamed in frustration. But doing so helped precisely nobody. Deciding that actions spoke louder than words, Rey shuffled closer to him, cupping his face and forcing him to look at her. He did, but she could see that he was tortured, and that wasn’t something she liked at all. It didn’t suit him, not one bit. Grabbing his wrists, she placed his hands firmly on her waist, holding them in place. “You’re wrong,” it was only a whisper, but with how close they were she might as well have shouted it, “I want _you_. I _deserve you_. We’ve come so far… please don’t turn me away now. Or, if you do, let it be because you genuinely don’t want to do this with me, not because you think that you’re not good enough for me.”

When he nodded at that, smile tugging at the corners of his mouth once again, Rey grinned triumphantly, guiding one of his hands lower until it reached the top of her underwear. Luke swallowed hard, almost losing the ability to breath when she pushed his fingers below. “Feel what you do to me. I’ve been like this constantly, every time I thought of that day in your apartment. When I was doing interviews, in meetings…”

It was official, he was losing his mind. “ _Rey_ …”

“Come to bed with me,” running her fingers through his hair, she grinned wickedly, “show me what I’ve been missing out on this past couple of weeks.”

It wasn’t an offer he could refuse.

*

Something was different. She knew from the minute she blearily opened her eyes in the morning. The bed was warmer than she was used to, but pleasantly so, although it wasn’t one she was familiar with. It wasn’t until Rey felt the tickle of breath and facial hair against her bare shoulder that it all came flooding back to her, obviously so wiped out after the previous night that she had momentarily forgotten all that had happened. Hell, with how long it had been since she’d last shared a bed with someone, she wasn’t at all surprised.

Goosebumps raised all over her skin, despite his warmth and softness, and Rey let her eyes shut once again, feeling fully content for the first time in a long time. If she could wake up like this every morning for the rest of her life, she would definitely be okay way that. Brushing her hair over the front of her shoulders so she didn’t smother him, the singer thrilled when his hand came to rest on her waist, pushing back ever so slightly so that she was almost pressed up against him.

“I can hear you thinking.”

Voice low and gravelly with sleep, his lips brush against her shoulders, prompting her to giggle at the sensation. “Oh yeah? What am I thinking?”

“You’re thinking,” hand lowering over her hip and onto her stomach, he pulls her flush against him, “that we seriously missed out with all that freaking out business and should have fallen into bed together at the first opportunity.”

 _Damn_. “Actually, I was thinking that I’m starving,” she lied, turning over so that they were face to face once again, having to bite her lip to keep from swooning when she saw his handsome face on the pillow across from her. “Morning.”

His heart ached. “Morning.”

“Last night was so perfect. I’m such an idiot.”

Brushing a stray lock of hair from her face, Luke chuckled softly. “No, you’re not. You needed to get your head straight and figure out what you wanted before we jumped into anything. It was the right decision.”

He was right. “It’s just a bit surreal. I would have never thought when we met that we would end up like this.”

“It’s crazy,” he agreed, “but in a very good way. At least I think so, anyway.”

“I think so too. So what happens now?”

A little taken aback by the question, though he probably should have been, Luke shrugged. “I don’t know, what do you want to happen?”

“Well,” she shifts, palm coming to rest on his cheeks as she plays with strands of his hair, “I want to get to know everything about you. Your favourite movie, your greatest achievement, where you go when you’re lonely…”

Humming that last bit back to her, they both freeze, eyes widening as they both internally go ‘WAIT’, neither moving for a moment.

“ _Where do you go when you’re lonely?_ ”

“ _Where do you go when you’re blue?_ ” she answered him, grin creeping across her face as it all seemed to map out in front of her. Surely it couldn’t be…

“ _Where do you go when you’re lonely?_ ”

“ _I’ll follow you._ ”

Before she knew what was happening, Luke had cast the covers off him (and part of her), springing up out of the bed as if there was a fire. “Get dressed.”

Sitting up, the covers clutched to her chest for reasons unknown to her, she looked at him as if he were crazy. “You do realise that I came in that dress that is currently in a ball on the floor, don’t you?”

“Right… forgot about that.” Something had to give, she had to leave his hotel room at some point… Lightbulb practically flashing over his head, Luke grabbed his phone from the bedside locker.

 _I don’t like this. Not at all._ A sinking feeling in her stomach, she watched him through narrowed eyes and he unlocked and scrolled through it. “Luke, do _not_ -“

Too late, it was already pressed against his ear. “Leia, hi…”

_Oh my god._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song is called "When the Stars go Blue", which I had never heard before last week but it seemed to fit. I did not write it lol  
> Kylo is back in the next chapter, which I'm kinda excited about... ;)


	8. Firestone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Our hearts are like firestone_   
>  _And when they strike, we feel the love_   
>  _Sparks will fly, they ignite our bones_   
>  _And when they strike we light up the world..._

“Ms Organa,” the desk clerk blinked, almost fumbling with a pen pot, “How may I help you?”

Putting on her best charming smile, Leia rested her forearms on the desk. “Well, you see I’m in a bit of a pickle… Rey couldn’t return to the hotel after the party we attended last night and I offered to pick her up some clothes. It would cause something of a- well, mess if she were to be seen coming back in the dress she wore last night, you see.”

The cogs were obviously turning in the man’s head, but Leia couldn’t care less. If he liked having a job he wouldn’t talk. “Of course.”

“So I was wondering if maybe you would be so kinda as to lend me a spare key for a few moments, just long enough for me to get what I need. You can even accompany me, if you need to make sure that it’s all above board…”

“That won’t be necessary, ma’am. Just one moment…”

Leia: I’m in

Luke: I never doubted you for a moment ;)

*

Pulling on a pair of skinny jeans, Rey glared at Luke, who seemed to be far too amused by the whole situation. _Traitor_. “I can’t believe you got your sister to get my clothes. Your sister, who is Leia Organa, the woman that I effectively work for. Are you telling me that it wouldn’t have been easier to- I don’t know- _buy_ some new ones?”

“Who was going to buy them?” he arched an eyebrow, looking all too relaxed where he lounged on the bed, “Me? Because buying women’s clothing at that hour wouldn’t have seemed suspicious at all… Besides,” Luke gave a dismissive wave of his hand, “you wouldn’t believe the crap I had to put with from her and Han. This is me getting my revenge.”

It still didn’t make her feel any better. “Does it feel good.”

“You have no idea.”

His grin caught her off guard, stumbling ever so slightly as she attempted to button her pants, prompting Rey to give a little huff as she gestured for him to hand over her top. Unsurprisingly, Leia had chosen something sensible: her favourite pair of jeans, a cream pullover and a pair of ankle boots. Something that, thankfully, didn’t scream ‘I spent the night having mindblowing sex with a rock legend instead of going home like a good girl.’ The wonderful woman had even thought to grab her bag, the silver clutch she had been using the previous night hideously out of place with her outfit. “How do I look?”

Grinning as she did a little twirl for dramatic effect, Luke climbed to his feet, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into his chest. “Beautiful, as always. Now, can we please go? We’ve been delayed enough as it is.”

Rey wanted to argue that his holding her in such proximity to him certainly wasn’t helping matters at all, but refrained from doing so. “Are you always in this much of a rush?”

“Not usually. Only when there’s a song in my head that I’m likely to forget if we don’t get going soon.”

“Fine,” she grabbed her bag as he playfully bundled her towards the door, “We’re going, okay?”

“ _Finally_.” That earned him a nudge.

“Where exactly are we going?”

Fixing her with a wink, Luke dramatically held the door open for her, ushering her out into the corridor. “You’ll see.”

*

She couldn’t help the look of confusion that spread across her face when they finally pulled up outside what appeared to be a music shop, stopping and staring at the unassuming building as Luke paid the driver. Her questions were endless; was this only the first stop on the journey? And why did they drive for almost half an hour to find a music shop in _LA_.

“Er, Luke?”

Placing one hand on the small of her back as the cab drove off, he chuckled at her confusion. “Yes, this is the right place. Used to live around here a good few years ago, glad to see it’s still here.”

Satisfied enough with that answer, Rey allowed him to lead the way as they made their way inside ‘ _Tosche Station Music Store’_ , instantly marvelling at how retro it was. Instantly welcoming, she couldn’t help but grin as she looked around. It was clear that the owner was in it for the love of music, rather than just to make a quick buck. The instruments were beautiful; a majestic grand piano took centre stage while every guitar one could possibly think of hung on two walls, the other two full of various brass and woodwind instruments. Larger instruments such as the double bass and cello, along with the percussion section, were left freestanding on the floor. Immediately, she could tell why Luke liked it.

“Well, I’ll be damned! Would you look who it is! Luke Skywalker, never thought I’d see your face around here again.”

Her attention was drawn to the dark haired, though it contained flecks of grey, moustached man who approached them. Luke almost seemed luminescent as he embraced what was clearly an old friend, and Rey found that she couldn’t keep her eyes off him, grinning herself. “Biggs! Good to see you again.”

“You too, man, you too. The years have been kind to you,” taking a step back, he looked the famous musician up and down, “What can I do for you?”

“Biggs, this is Rey.”

He embraced her like she was also an old friend. “Nice to meet you.”

“Pleasure is all mine, Rey, I assure you.”

“I don’t know if you’ve heard but Rey and I are working together on her next album. We were at a party last night and were divinely inspired but since we’re not back in New York…”

Holding up his hands, Biggs nodded in understanding. “Say no more. You know you’re always welcome here. As is any friend of yours…” his gaze flicked from Rey to Luke and back again, as if he were trying to work something out. It made her blush. “Have your pick of the lot, I’ll get you some supplies.”

Rey quickly found herself in love with this whole experience. Sitting at the grand piano, Luke appraised the choices before selecting one, pulling a stool up to where she was sitting. Biggs came back a couple of minutes later with some writing materials, a couple of manuscripts and that was that; he just left them to their own devices and went about his business. It made her want to write any future song of hers in the same way, the whole thing feeling so completely… _authentic_.

Customers, not many but a couple, came and went, most just standing in awe of the fact that two famous musicians, both award winning, were randomly writing music in their local music shop. It was equally bizarre for her. By one o’clock, not even two hours later, it was written bar any little amendments that would be made at a later stage and Rey was positively gleeful. Although it was mainly because she loved the song, it was also because it was a duet, and there was absolutely no one else on the planet that she would rather sing it with.

It was overwhelming. There was always a sense of achievement in writing a song but this time… this time it was so much more, like nothing she’d ever felt before. Intoxicated by Luke and her feelings for him, she felt almost manic. If it she hadn’t know before, she definitely did now: Rey was completely in love with him. One sideways glace at him had her heart almost jumping out of her chest, and it made her wonder what was next. In that moment, however, she couldn’t really care less.

Instead of giving back the guitar, Luke bought it, surprising them both by refusing a box or a bag and instead asking for a marker. Flummoxed, Biggs managed to source one and the legendary guitarist proceeded to sign it, handing it to Rey to do the same before giving it back to his friend.

Yep, she was definitely in love.

*

“We need to change the plan.”

Looking up from his newspaper, Hux frowned at the sight of Ren deigning to enter his office. Miracles did happen, apparently. “We? I don’t recall making any plan with you.”

The CEO pointedly ignored that and, for once, Hux was completely shocked. He must have meant business if he rejected a chance to make a snipe at his second-in-command. “I’m not the only one who will benefit if Rey joins us. But, as much as it pains me to admit it, I think you were right. My uncle has his clutches on her.”

_Is he drunk_? Determining this to be a truly historic and unparalleled situation, Hux dropped the paper, leaning forward in his chair like the cat who had got the cream. Mentally, he was making a note to pick up a bottle of Moet on the way home. “I never thought I would see the day. What convinced you?”

“Poe Dameron posted a picture of them together last night-“

“You follow _Poe Dameron_?”

“He’s Rey’s friend.” As if that explained everything. “Looks like he and Leia have been conspiring together, which doesn’t surprise me. Then my dear uncle posted a picture of them leaving the party.”

“I’m not sure what we can actually do here, short of breaking them up, which would probably prove to be very difficult if what you say is actually true.”

It just so happened that he had an idea or two. “Leave it to me, I’ll sort it…”

*

014569…: Hi, it’s Ben. I was just wondering if you would be available to meet with me in the next couple of days

036774…: Ben?

014569…: Solo

036774…: Wow, this is a surprise. What is this meeting about?

014569…: I have a proposition for you. Are you available?

036774…: Okay, I’m curious. It will have to be tomorrow at lunch. Other than that I’m booked solid for a week

014569…: That will do fine. I’ll book a table at Mos Eisley for one o’clock?

036774…: See you then. I look forward to hearing what you’ve got to say

014569…: I look forward to sharing it. No doubt you’ll find it very attractive

036774…: We’ll see about that


	9. Sympathy for the Devil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Pleased to meet you, hope you guess my name_   
>  _But what's puzzling you is the nature of my game..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so excited to see what you guys think of this one!! I've been dying to get it written and posted... ;)

Drumming his fingers impatiently against the clothed table, Kylo Ren frowned as he kept an eye out for his lunch date. Another glance at his watch told him that it was close to five past the hour, and his patience was wearing by the second. He hated waiting, and making him do so was almost unforgiveable in his eyes. Though, he supposed, on this occasion he would have to make an exception.

His frown, however, was quickly replaced by a grin when he finally laid eyes on her. Standing to greet her, Kylo instantly decided that she hadn’t changed a bit, luscious red hair tumbling elegantly over her shoulders and forest green eyes still striking and capable of penetrating one’s soul as ever. Sure, there were a couple more lines on her face than there had been a couple of years ago, but she was still undeniably beautiful.

“Ben,” she returned his smile, though it was somewhat guarded, as they exchanged kisses, “Good to see you again.”

The pleasure was certainly all his. “You too, aunt. Please, sit. We’ve got a lot to talk about…”

*

**A Crazy Little Thing Called Love?**

_New singing sensation, Rey, and legendary guitarist, Luke Skywalker? Not a creative combination that many would have foreseen but are the pair more than just professionally involved? It now appears, in a development that may shock many, to be the case. A source close to the pair tells_ Alliance _that the two met at a party both were attending, and have been inseparable ever since. “They had instant chemistry, it’s clear to anyone that laid eyes on them. Rey (22) has been a fan of Luke’s (53) for most of her life and Luke thinks that she’s incredibly talented. It’s not surprising that what started off as a professional relationship turned into something more…”_

 _Skywalker, considered by many to be rock n’ roll royalty, is the son of the late Anakin Skywalker (_ Galactic Empire _guitarist) and Padmé Amidala (the US’s youngest ever Senator) but was separated from his family as a baby when Amidala died in suspicious circumstances and, with the chief suspect to be none other than his father, Luke was sent to live with his step uncle in Arizona. Sensationally, Skywalker didn’t discover until he was in his early twenties that he has a twin sister, Leia Organa, with whom- along with drummer Han Solo- he was a founding member of_ Millennium Falcon _. The band enjoyed success for over close to three decades before the trio went their separate ways in the aftermath of a difficult divorce between Solo and Organa._

_Rey’s story, it appears, is not completely dissimilar. After the tragic death of her parents when she was a young girl, and with no remaining family, she bounced from foster home to foster home in the London area until the age of 17 when she met her now-manager, Finn Dameron, who noticed her talent. The rest, as they say, is history._

_As reported in an earlier issue of_ Alliance _(Jan 24 th 2017), many were surprised when Rey appeared to have tempted Skywalker back into the studio after a thirteen year hiatus from recording with her new album due to be released early Fall of this year. However, with news of their relationship now coming out, that decision by the legendary guitarist seems to make a lot more sense, especially since Skywalker has not been linked romantically to any one since the break up of his marriage to actress Mara Jade almost ten years ago. The source, who prefers to remain unnamed, says that Skywalker is absolutely smitten with his new love, and vice versa, despite the age gap of 30 years. He himself seemed to confirm the relationship with an Instagram post of them leaving a party they both had been attending together on Friday last. _

_It remains to be seen whether such an age difference will put a short sell-by date on the relationship or whether it will be second-time-lucky for Skywalker, but they do make a handsome pair…_

_What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!_

Alliance _has reached out to the management of both Rey and Luke Skywalker but has not yet received a response._

*

Padding back from the ensuite, drops of water tricking down her back from a strand of hair she’d missed when putting it up in a towel, Rey found Luke sitting cross-legged on the bed, studying his phone with a frown. Sitting down beside him, she mirrored his expression, craning her neck to sneak a glance at whatever had gotten his attention so thoroughly. “What’s up?”

Looking up at her, his mouth twitched, marvelling at how she managed to look like a goddess wrapped up in two towels that appeared to be far too big for her. “People are talking.”

“ _Already_? We’ve barely been together five minutes!”

She wasn’t wrong. Although it seemed much longer, it had literally only been a couple of days since the party. “Already. Apparently a ‘source’ close to us spoke to _Alliance_ , which I can’t make sense of since the only ones who even know are my sister, Finn and Poe.”

“Well, you did post that photo. Maybe someone just took a chance with putting two and two together and wanted to cash in on it?”

“Maybe…” mumbling, Luke frowned once again, something in his gut telling him that something was off, “I don’t know, Rey. Something just feels… not quite right. I can’t explain it.”

Knowing the feeling well, Rey wrapped her arms around him, uncaring when the towel slipped down from her chest. “What does it matter anyway? It’s not like it isn’t true, and it can’t stay a secret forever. I don’t care what anyone thinks and neither should you. Everyone who really matters already knows… everything else is just irrelevant.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“Good,” beaming, she took one of his hands and placed over her cheek, leading the other to her now-exposed breast, “Now, I’m going to have to head back to London the day after tomorrow so you better kiss me…”

That he could certainly do.

*

“How have you been?”

It was bizarre; the last time Mara Jade Skywalker saw the boy- _man_ now, she supposed- sitting in front of her, he hated her with an almost burning passion. And now he was wining and dining her, wanting to find out how she was? “I’ve been good. Work is still coming, as you’ve probably seen, so I can’t complain. You know how it is for women over fifty in Hollywood who aren’t Helen Mirren or Judi Dench…”

“You look beautiful as ever. Haven’t changed a bit.”

Pursing her lips as she sipped on her _Bordeaux_ , Mara wasn’t so sure. “I have in some ways, not so much in orders…” Shaking her head, she leaned forward in her seat, “I’m sorry, I’m still just a little bit confused as to why you wanted to see me. What could _I_ possibly help _you_ with?”

Mouth twitching ever so slightly, Kylo twirled the delicate stem of his glass between his fingers. “You were married to my uncle.”

“Luke? What does Luke have to do with this?”

“He’s seeing someone else, have you heard?”

 _He’s seeing- what?_ “No, I hadn’t heard,” the redhead chuckled humourlessly, “Good for him. We separated almost a decade ago, Ben; it’s none of my business who he does or doesn’t date. In fact, it’s neither of yours either, although I know you must be _very_ concerned about him. You two were so close, after all…”

Ah yes, this was the Mara Jade that he remembered. To this day, it remained a mystery to him how someone with such… fire would ever go for someone like his uncle, never mind _marry_ him. Luke Skywalker, the nation’s blue eyed, floppy-haired sweetheart… Give him a break. “She’s thirty years younger than him.”

That, admittedly, surprised her. But she still didn’t see the problem. “Not unprecedented in his line of work but I’ll bite. Who is she?”

“Rey.”

For a moment, the actress laughed, but that quickly changed when she saw the completely unwavering seriousness on her former nephew-in-law’s face and she deadpanned. “ _Rey?_ He’s dating _Rey?_ ”

“He is. A plan undoubtedly orchestrated by your former husband and my mother. So convenient that this relationship should happen just as she had been on the verge of signing a contract to leave my mother’s label and join mine…”

“She was going to sign a contract with _you_?”

“Everything was done, all that was needed was her name on the dotted line.”

Something didn’t quite add up. “I can’t believe Luke and Leia would do something like that. She’s practically still a baby, it must be a coincidence.”

Grimacing, Kylo gave a little shrug. Pausing to give the waiter who’d just arrived at the table their order. The man couldn’t have appeared at a better time if he’d planned it, watching Mara surreptitiously out of the corner of his eye as she ordered. _That’s it, let it sink in_. Soon, the waiter was gone and Kylo was very much in the driving seat. “I wish it were a coincidence.”

“What do you want from me? I’m of no use to you, he’s no longer my husband.”

“No, he isn’t,” he conceded, “but he _was_. And if you were to tell the truth about what actually went on in your marriage…. Well, maybe Rey would come to her senses.”

Enough. She’d had enough. Pushing back her chair, uncaring when it squeaked against the marble and attracted attention to them, Mara stood and grabbed her purse. “I’m sorry but you have a lot of nerve-“

“I thought you might say that,” not even blinking, the CEO pulled a slip of paper from his jacket pocket, unfolding it and laying it out flat on the table so that she couldn’t miss it. Looking from her former nephew to the cheque and back, her jaw dropped, and Kylo lapped it all up. Every last bit of it. “Oops,” smiling, he pulled a pen from his pocket, the soft click as he opened the cap amplified a hundred times, “I forgot a zero, silly me. “ Once that was fixed, he looked back at her again, happy to find that she had stopped completely. _Success._ “Why don’t you sit back down and we can discuss this properly? I’m sure you have… questions.”

To no one’s surprise, she did.


	10. Take Your Silver Spoon (Dig Your Grave)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Rock on, ancient Queen,_   
>  _Follow those who pale in your shadow._   
>  _Rulers make bad lovers,_   
>  _You better put your kingdom up for sale..._

A flash illuminating the previously completely dark room, Rey’s eyes groggily opened, groaning as she looked for the source of the light. It didn’t take her long at all to find the source: Luke’s phone, perched innocently on the locker at his side of the bed. Nudging his bare back with as much force as a light breeze, she grunted his name, getting a sleepy ‘I know and I don’t care’ in response. Satisfied, the flashing having stopped, Rey let her eyes close once again. It was her last morning in New York before she had to return to London and, although Luke would follow two days later to record the late addition to her album, she wanted to make the most of what little time they had left holed up in his apartment, blissfully unaware of what was going on outside.

Turning over and cuddling up to his back, Rey hummed in contentment as she began to drift off again, all but asleep when there was another flash. Annoyance beginning to bubble inside her, she bit down on her lip in an attempt to just ignore it. It would ring out in a minute or two and the caller, hopefully, would get the hint that they didn’t want to be disturbed. It did just that… until two minutes later when the room lit up once again.

“Oh for fuck sake!”

Teeth gritted and eyes still closed, Luke reached out and snatched the phone from the locker. “What.”

_“Good morning to you, too. I’m fine thanks, how are you?”_

Leia. He should have known. “Excuse my lack of politesse, I’m quite busy _sleeping_.”

_“Well, not anymore. You have a problem.”_

Rey, just about hear Luke’s sister’s words, sat up at that, feeling of dread beginning to gnaw at her. Supporting herself on one hand, she gently dragged the other through his hair, twirling one of the longish strands between her fingers.

“Sounds wonderful,” he groaned, trying his best to hide his concern, “What is it?”

It took a moment, but he finally got his answer. “Your ex-wife.”

 _Well, fuck_.

*

With a smug sense of anticipation, Kylo Ren went about his morning routine just as he always did. Half an hour on the treadmill, shower, breakfast… Except instead of taking that last one to go, he set everything- coffee, orange juice, pastries- out on the coffee table in his lounge, in perfect position for some mid-morning viewing. Waiting impatiently for the tv moment of the year, possibly the decade, by the time the show actually started he was grinning like he hadn’t done in what felt like years now, absolutely sure this was going to be worth ever last cent he spent and then some.

_“-coming up in the next half hour we have Mara Jade Skywalker joining us in studio to discuss her upcoming movie and the break-up of her marriage to rock legend, Luke Skywalker-“_

Yes, he could just tell it was going to be a good morning.

*

“How do you know this?”

It couldn’t be true, it just… couldn’t. The Mara Jade that he had known for close to thirty years and had been married to for nineteen of those would never do this. _Never_. Whoever had informed his sister of this had to have been mistaken, they just had to have been. A flick of his eyes toward the woman in his bed, who was watching him with such intensity that he could hardly bare to look at her, caused his stomach to plummet once again. If it were true, what would it do to her? Rey, who was completely innocent in all this. Rey, who gave her heart away so reluctantly. Rey, whom he now wanted to protect more than he wanted to breathe.

_“I got a call from an acquaintance at the station, out of courtesy. It’s happening, Luke.”_

“What can we do to stop it?”

 _“We_ can’t _. If it- if it’s as bad as my source is making it out to be then we take action afterwards. That’s all we can do at the moment.”_

 _Take action-_ The magnitude of the situation hitting him like a slap, Luke’s shoulders slumped in defeat as he scrubbed wearily at his face. It was going to be that bad; whatever his wife was going to say about him could potentially warrant legal intervention.

_“It will be okay, Luke. She won’t get away with it. Is Rey there?”_

“Yeah,” risking another glance at her, he bit his lip, “she is.”

_“Good. This involves her too. Get her to switch on the tv and I’ll call you again when it’s over. We can see where we go from there.”_

Hearing that, Rey reluctantly rose from where she was sitting cross-legged on the mattress, and Luke let her, despite the fact that all he wants to do is unplug the damn thing and remain blissfully ignorant of whatever happened. What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him, after all. But no. He needed to see this for himself. He needed to see how the woman who he devoted so many years of his life to could have the guts to go on tv and talk about him as if what they had meant absolutely nothing.

When she returned, Luke could tell that Rey thought him angry, as any person in his situation (as bizarre as it was) would be. But he didn’t feel angry, all he felt was hurt.

Sure enough, by the time Rey found the right channel the host were already talking about his wife. Instinctively, he looked to Rey, his heart aching at how beautiful and _good_ she is, how much he loved her.

All he could say was ‘I’m sorry.’

*

The interview went just as every other she’d ever done, except this time the anticipation of what was to come palpably hung over them all. Once the obligatory movie bit is over with, the hosts eagerly moved on to what she knew they really wanted to talk about.

“So, your husband has been in the news quite a bit over the past couple of days.”

“Ex-husband,” Mara corrected, knowing smile stretching on her ruby lips, “But yes, Luke appears to by a busy man at the moment.”

“19 years.” When their eyebrows raised, she chuckled softly. “Yeah, I know. It was a long time.”

“You were America’s sweethearts for so long… I don’t think we ever really got the story of how and why it ended. Well, until now, I believe?”

“The relationship wasn’t as happy as it outwardly seemed?” the second host added, completely lapping it all up. Mara wouldn’t blame her; their ratings were about to go through the roof.

“No, I guess the specifics were never really discussed by either of us. But I would like to set the record straight, once and for all. I know some people may not like it but…”

“So Luke wasn’t a good husband to you.”

Contemplating that for a moment, the actress crossed her legs, laying her hands over her knee. “The truth of the matter- and there are some that might think otherwise- is that my relationship with my husband was a perfectly normal, healthy relationship.”

A collective ‘what’ seemed to echo halfway across New York, both hosts looking at each other as if they had completely missed something. “I’m sorry-“

Mara smiled knowingly, loving every single minute of this. “I know you were expecting me to say otherwise, but don’t worry- you’ll get your ratings, I can promise you that. Just bear with me…”

*

Easy smile long gone, Kylo watched the scene unfold in absolute horror, grabbing his phone and fumbling with it in an attempt to find the number that he so desperately needed. Foot tapping anxiously against the hardwood floor, he cursed to himself as it rang and rang until-

“Hi, it’s me. Get her _off_. Now!”

But he knew it was too late. He should have known better than to trust that _bitch_.

*

 

Silence temporarily fell over the set, one of the hosts looking to the producer, who appeared to be equally flummoxed, for guidance. As if against his better judgment, he allowed things to proceed as they were. “I’m sorry, I’m just confused…”

“So, funny story. As you rightly mentioned, there are rumours flying around at the moment that my ex-husband is dating Rey. And, _naturally_ , I got a text from my former nephew, Ben- or _Kylo Ren_ , as he calls himself these days- who was obviously very concerned about these rumours. Ben asked me to come here today and talk to you fine people about how horrible my marriage was, how bad a husband Luke was to me.

“In fact,” pulling out the piece of paper she had been presented with but a few days previous, Mara slowly unfolded it, holding it up for the cameras and the world to see, “he even _paid_ me to do so. Well, Ben honey, I am a _much_ better actress than you give me credit for.”

And then everything went crazy.


	11. Something to Talk About

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Long time no see! I've had a hell of a couple of months so I haven't been able to writing anything new, or even come on and read, until now. I'm completely playing catch up but I will reply to everything soon and I will try get Take This Sinking Boat updated too. So sorry <3
> 
> Oh yeah, Twitter handles are completely plucked off the top of my head and so any similarities are completely coincidental!

manybothans: I can’t believe I’m witnessing the assassination of Kylo Ren on live television

ginerso: @NYPD Hi I would like to report a murder. @KyloRen has just been burnt to death on national television, I suggest you investigate this immediately

NYPD: @ginerso We have seen the incident and have one thing to say on the matter: Go @MaraJade

cassmeoutside: Damn, I ain’t never seen one of Mara Jade’s movies but she cold af

Damneron: Not all heroes wear capes @MaraJade Thank you for exposing Kyle Ron for what he really is #respect

kathyk: When he pays you to roast your ex on live tv but instead you roast him #wastehistime2k17

izach: @MaraJade out here carrying out a hit that Don Corleone would be proud of

*

Ripping the cheque right down the middle, Mara tossed the fragments on the floor. She’d never felt so alive in her entire life, what a beautiful experience. The hosts were freaking out, the audience was freaking out, even the crew was freaking out. Nobody seemed to know what to do and it was positively glorious, a breath of fresh air from the usual monotony of press tours.

“Wait,” the male host cleared his throat, trying to salvage the situation, “so you’re telling us that Kylo Ren, CEO of First Order Productions, _paid_ you to go on television and defame his uncle- your former husband- just because he _might_ be dating someone new?”

“Oh no, it’s not just because he’s dating someone new. It’s because he’s dating _Rey_ , although I have absolutely no idea whether those rumours are actually true or if he fabricated them himself. Kylo is obsessed with her, obsessed with getting her to join his label. He thought that if I made her see what kind of man my former husband really is, she would have no choice but to leave her current label, owned- of course- by Luke’s sister. So, Rey, if you see this- and I’m sure you will- I’m going to tell you a little something…”

Looking directly into the camera, the hosts having obviously given up at this stage and letting it all happen, she smiled, and it was completely genuine. “I don’t know if these rumours are even true, or if they’ve been manufactured by Ren as part of his plan, but I loved my husband with all my heart. Luke is the best, the kindest and most loving man I have ever had the pleasure of knowing in my entire life and, although it may not have worked out for us in the end, I want him to be happy. Make him happy.”

*

Sitting there in silence, her jaw pretty much permanently glued to the floor, Rey tried and failed to comprehend what was happening. Okay, so that had not at all been what she had been expecting when Luke received his sister’s call of warning not fifteen minutes previous. In fact, she’d been prepared to have her heartbroken, scared to death of hearing something about him that she wouldn’t like. How stupid did she feel for even doubting him for a moment? Luke, who was so good and kind. Luke who, despite only meeting him a couple of months ago, she felt as if she had known him her whole life.

It appeared that he was just as shocked as she was, alternating between looking concerned and incredibly amused, and Rey found herself filled with so much love and relief that she could help but reach out and take his hand. “That was… interesting.”

“Yeah,” he chuckled, shaking his head in complete and utter disbelief, “It was.”

“Has she always been like that?” So comfortable was she that Rey didn’t feel an ounce of jealousy when Luke smiled fondly, as if he was suddenly transported back in time. Hell, after _that_ stunt she was actually contemplating marrying Mara Jade herself.

“Always. It’s obviously been long enough since Ben has seen her that he’d forgotten. Although, he always despised her so I don’t know what possessed him to think that asking her to do that was a good idea.”

Feeling slightly giddy, Rey grinned, shuffling over so that she was sitting on his lap. She chewed on her lip as her finger tips played with the hair at the nape of his neck. “I don’t care. All that matters is that he did and instead of ruining you- of ruining _us_ \- he ruined himself.” Laughing, she shook her head before planting a kiss firmly on his lips, grinning against his mouth when he responded eagerly. Luke’s hand quickly found their way to the small of her back, pulling her flush against him, and he groaned when she wiggled her hips like the tease she was.

“ _Rey_.”

_That’s me_. “Luke, Luke, Luke.”

_God, I love you._ He almost told, lips parting to do so until he, not for the first time that morning- nor the second or third, for that matter- was interrupted by the shrill and demanding ringing of his phone. A glance to his left told him that it was his sister again and, well, if that was a buzz killer… Sighing, Luke rolled his, reaching out to pick it up. “I suppose there’s some stuff that we need to sort out. Rain check?”

Rey groaned at that, going slightly limp against him out of disappointment. So what if something major had just happened? Did people not realise that tomorrow she would be going back to London, without Luke? So, what if he would be joining her two days after that… “Fine. I’m going to let you talk to your sister while I go take a very cold shower. Or a very _hot_ one, I haven’t quite decided yet.”

“Hey, not fair!”

*

Kylo was out of there the moment she pulled out that cheque.

Of course, he wanted nothing more than to stick around and tell the bitch just how big of a mistake that she had made in crossing him, how her career was finished and that he would personally see to it himself. But confronting her now would be an even bigger mistake than the one he’d just made, especially since the press were going to be swarming any minute now. No, he needed to leave, half an hour ago.

Satisfied, at least, that everyone who came across his path stuck to the sides of the corridor and merely watched as he stalked towards the entrance, Kylo figured that getting arrested for punching someone in the face wouldn’t help to better his case in any way.

And it was pretty fucking bad already.

Getting in the back of the car and slamming the door shut behind him before his driver even managed to scramble out to open the door for him, he thumped the head rest as hard as he could, wishing it wasn’t leather so that the feeling of split knuckles would distract him even a little bit, take some of the edge off. They’d barely made it out onto the street when his phone was vibrating in his hand, Hux’s name making him want to toss it out the window and go straight to the airport. He needed a vacation, he needed to get out of the country before he fucking murdered someone, likely some poor unsuspecting person who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

But he wasn’t a coward, so fought his instincts and pressed ‘answer’.

“What.”

“What the fuck did you _do_. Tell me _that_ wasn’t the grand plan, please.”

He gritted his teeth so hard that he was surprised they didn’t crack under the force. “I made a miscalculation, that’s all.”

“A MISCALCULATION? Ren, you’ve fucking damned us all! We’re _finished_ , the label is _finished_.”

“Don’t be so dramatic. It will all blow over.” At least that was what he kept telling himself.

“BLOW OVER-“

Unfortunately, he could no longer listen to his colleagues screeching, as much as he would have liked to…

He had another incoming call. And this time it was from Snoke.


End file.
